Deep moments of emotion swept through Israel after the body of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer held hostage in the Gaza Strip, was returned home. This is the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostage remains in Gaza, ending a long period of grief for the families and the Israeli state.
The Israeli Armed Forces released a video of soldiers breaking down in tears upon learning of the identification of Gvili's body in a cemetery in Gaza. Emotions were also running high at the Nahal Oz military base, near the Gaza border, where a small ceremony was held in his honor, attended by his father, Itzik Gvili.
Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir met with the deceased's father and hugged him, emphasizing the historical significance of this day: " For more than two years we have been waiting for this moment, the return of the last hostage ," he said during a visit to eastern Gaza.
" The finding of Ran Gvili's body marks the completion of one of our main missions: the return of all hostages, alive or dead, to their homes, to their country, to their families ," Zamir stressed.
This event is considered symbolic and extremely important for public opinion in Israel, which for years has lived under the anxiety of the fate of hostages at the hands of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.
Tani Izraelitet do te gjejne nje aresye tjeter qe te vazhdojne raprezaljet ne Gaza, si psh. na ketheni qente, macet e minjte qe na keni vrare.